According to media reports, FIFA is testing a brand-new technology to determine whether the entire ball has crossed the boundary before a goal is scored, and has also upgraded technologies related to offside decisions.
The technology named "Out of Bounds" is one of several new technologies tested by FIFA at the Intercontinental Cup held in Qatar this month. Its core function is to accurately judge whether the ball has gone out of bounds before a goal is scored, thereby reducing controversial decisions.
In addition, FIFA has further expanded the "real-time 3D reconstruction" technology to improve the speed and clarity of "line of sight offside" decisions. The system can generate two sets of virtual images, simulating the perspectives of the two goalkeepers respectively, for VAR referees and TV broadcasts to more intuitively judge whether the attacking player blocks the goalkeeper's line of sight.
The above-mentioned new technologies are jointly developed by FIFA and Hawk-Eye Innovations, and it has not yet been determined whether they will be officially put into use in leagues around the world.
How New Technologies Reduce Controversies
In recent seasons, there have been multiple controversial decisions in the Premier League, and this technology is expected to provide help in the future.
Two seasons ago, Arsenal encountered controversy because VAR could not confirm whether the ball was out of bounds. At that time, VAR ruled that Joe Willock had kept the ball in play, and then Anthony Gordon scored the winning goal to help Newcastle United win. However, due to the lack of suitable camera angles, it could not be proved whether the ball had gone out of bounds, triggering a huge controversy.
There have also been multiple "line of sight offside" controversies this season. Last month, in the match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, when Eberechi Eze scored, there were voices suggesting that Leandro Trossard might have blocked Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario's line of sight.
The "Out of Bounds" technology uses the same ball tracking data and configuration as the semi-automated offside technology (SAOT). It is still in the offline testing phase but has undergone practical tests in the Intercontinental Cup. In the Intercontinental Cup final, a goal by Paris Saint-Germain player Fabian Ruiz was ruled out because VAR confirmed the ball had gone out of bounds.
At the same time, FIFA is also testing a system that sends real-time offside voice prompts to assistant referees. This function made its debut at the Club World Cup this summer, aiming to reduce the delay in raising the flag in obvious offside situations.
In May this year, Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi continued to attack after an obvious offside, collided with the goalpost during a sprint, and was eventually sent to the hospital and temporarily put into a deep coma by doctors with drugs. FIFA hopes that through a faster offside reminder mechanism, the risk of similar serious injuries can be reduced.
